"Sugar Ray"

Sugar Ray"

Gladiator.

Born Walker Smith Jr., he would go on to be known as Sugar Ray Robinson; one of the greatest fighters of all time. At the Gene Frankel Theater we just witnessed Robinson's first fight in which he lost. Jake LaMotta was the winner. Unlike today, boxers of yesteryear considered themselves warriors, gladiators, men of men and a lose meant respect for the winner and conversely the winner didn't show up his opponent either. In Lawrence Holder's "Sugar Ray" we see a soft side, a human side to this man up on the stage solo for ninety minutes. In real life, however, Robinson ran with gangs, contrary to Holder's writing. Robinson had many wives, ran into trouble more often than what was portrayed here on stage.

Directed by Luther D. Wells and staring Reginald L. Wilson, the show is an interesting one. Holder puts together a pithy play and both Wells and Wilson deliver on its strong under tone of a play. The stage is a half boxing ring, sans a stage, the seating is all around the ring. Wells did this to invite the audience to see up close Mr. Robinson's boxing life. Wilson himself plays the intimate setting up as he too fences with the audience. Able to talk to us as he was telling his life story, as if it was just two people exchanging war stories, Luther D. Wells is able to "invite us" into his living room with Sugar Ray as the main attraction.

Boxing years ago, was different than it is today: boxers often fought once a week and at a minimum once a month. They faced many of the same tough fighters over and over again. In Robinson's case, he met Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano, Carmen Basilio to name a few on a regular basis. Even a great boxer like Sugar Ray Robinson still had 19 loses in his twenty-five-year career. To hear Wilson tell it was both heartfelt and heartwarming. In the words of Holder, Robinson liked and respected people in general, and people genuinely liked Sugar Ray. Respectful of his mom and sisters, Holder would have you believe that he went through life as a pious, anointed person; in reality, that was not the case. Tax issues and womanizing really hurt his career, he came back out of retirement because he needed the money causing him to lose his very first fight back. His three marriages hurt him emotionally and financially as it was made somewhat clear throughout the play.

The very intimate venue that is the Frankel was a great place to be on a Sunday afternoon. It felt as if I turned on the T.V. in my home and watched this unfold before me. I felt by the end of the play that Sugar Ray was my long-lost friend; that he told me stories that he only told his boxing buddies like Cassius Clay and Joe Lewis. On the mark direction made this emotion happen all afternoon and both actor/ director gave us both good feelings and bad feelings about Robinson's life.

Solo shows are difficult as a practice. In "Sugar Ray" he writes an old-time story with old time men. The stories of not only the pain in boxing but the segregated nation that has signs on the windows of establishments "no blacks, Jews or dogs". Yet he goes on to tell us that a Jewish fight promoter takes him inside one of these establishments and the people are accepting of both of them. How a gangster by the name of Carabeo asks him to take a dive for one million dollars. When Robinson refuses, Carabeo respects his decision. When LaMotta takes a dive to get a shot at the title, Robinson respects his decision. Non-judgmental and men among men, it was smooth in the way Holder delivers this play. This play could have been written in the 50's, 60's, 70's or now as it is timeless. Men like these gladiators usually are.

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